Radiohead - Burn The Witch

Radiohead's first taster for LP9 sets a line in the sand nobody else could cross. They're still the masters.

Intro-banger

What did we expect Radiohead to come back with? One of the few bands capable of dropping a shoulder and selling a dummy, whatever they turn their hand to is going to feel perfectly poised - but ‘Burn The Witch’ is something else. Spectacularly so.

The first taster of the enigmatic LP9 just has that vibe - the gut feeling it hit its mark perfectly. Those paranoid, on edge, nails down a chalk board strings that hit at the track’s end mark it perfectly. There’s no huge chorus, no bending to mainstream will, but at the same time there’s an uneasy, fantastical familiarity to it all. Like they’ve magpied the best parts of their back catalogue - no surprise given the song's lengthy gestation period crosses much of it - and still managed to turn it into something ever so slightly new.

There’d be no mistaking any element for another band. Thom’s vocals, the undeniable influence of Jonny Greenwood’s genius - sometimes something just feels right. Alternative music’s de facto leaders are strapping in. They’ll set the destination, everything else simply needs to follow behind.

'Burn The Witch' is available to buy from 00:01 on May 4th. Radiohead will continue to dominate the internet until we're all six feet under.

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